July 7, 2008 -
The Office of Neighborhoods is offering a new page on the City of Knoxville’s website where it will provide basic information about the many neighborhood organizations, including crime watch groups, in Knoxville.

The Office of Neighborhoods, part of the city’s Community Development Department, was created last year to improve the flow of information about the city’s services, policies, resources and plans to neighborhood organizations. At the same time, it also serves as a liaison between the neighborhoods and officials within city government.

Now the Office of Neighborhoods is mailing letters and sending e-mails to neighborhood leaders, asking them to register their organizations.

“Neighborhood groups that register with the city will see certain benefits in the near term,” noted David Massey, neighborhood coordinator. “First, in the new Office of Neighborhoods section of the city’s website, we will create a web page for each neighborhood organization. This gives every organized neighborhood a web presence with key information such as mission statement, meeting times and whom to contact. Groups that already have websites will get additional exposure. Site visitors will be able to browse through these pages to learn about Knoxville’s neighborhoods.”

Neighborhood groups are also asked to provide e-mail addresses for the neighborhood office’s e-mail list. “In this way, we can keep neighborhoods informed about key issues, upcoming public meetings, funding opportunities, and various conferences and seminars,” Massey added. Neighborhood leaders who do not use e-mail can receive these notices by postal mail.

Massey said there are more than 100 resident-controlled organizations in the city. These include crime watch groups, tenant organizations and condo associations, as well as organizations in single-family neighborhoods.

In addition to its liaison role between neighborhoods and city departments, the Office of Neighborhoods also plans to offer classes and other support services to neighborhoods that want to form an organization and to all neighborhood groups seeking ways to strengthen their organizations and their neighborhoods.